Os israelitas derrotados em Ai. Acã

1 Prevaricaram os filhos de Israel nas coisas condenadas; porque Acã, filho de Carmi, filho de Zabdi, filho de Zera, da tribo de Judá, tomou das coisas condenadas. A ira do Senhor se acendeu contra os filhos de Israel.

2 Enviando, pois, Josué, de Jericó, alguns homens a Ai, que está junto a Bete-Áven, ao oriente de Betel, falou-lhes, dizendo: Subi e espiai a terra. Subiram, pois, aqueles homens e espiaram Ai. 3 E voltaram a Josué e lhe disseram: Não suba todo o povo; subam uns dois ou três mil homens, a ferir Ai; não fatigueis ali todo o povo, porque são poucos os inimigos. 4 Assim, subiram lá do povo uns três mil homens, os quais fugiram diante dos homens de Ai. 5 Os homens de Ai feriram deles uns trinta e seis, e aos outros perseguiram desde a porta até às pedreiras, e os derrotaram na descida; e o coração do povo se derreteu e se tornou como água.

6 Então, Josué rasgou as suas vestes e se prostrou em terra sobre o rosto perante a arca do Senhor até à tarde, ele e os anciãos de Israel; e deitaram pó sobre a cabeça. 7 Disse Josué: Ah! Senhor Deus, por que fizeste este povo passar o Jordão, para nos entregares nas mãos dos amorreus, para nos fazerem perecer? Tomara nos contentáramos com ficarmos dalém do Jordão. 8 Ah! Senhor, que direi? Pois Israel virou as costas diante dos seus inimigos! 9 Ouvindo isto os cananeus e todos os moradores da terra, nos cercarão e desarraigarão o nosso nome da terra; e, então, que farás ao teu grande nome?

10 Então, disse o Senhor a Josué: Levanta-te! Por que estás prostrado assim sobre o rosto? 11 Israel pecou, e violaram a minha aliança, aquilo que eu lhes ordenara, pois tomaram das coisas condenadas, e furtaram, e dissimularam, e até debaixo da sua bagagem o puseram. 12 Pelo que os filhos de Israel não puderam resistir aos seus inimigos; viraram as costas diante deles, porquanto Israel se fizera condenado; já não serei convosco, se não eliminardes do vosso meio a coisa roubada. 13 Dispõe-te, santifica o povo e dize: Santificai-vos para amanhã, porque assim diz o Senhor, Deus de Israel: Há coisas condenadas no vosso meio, ó Israel; aos vossos inimigos não podereis resistir, enquanto não eliminardes do vosso meio as coisas condenadas. 14 Pela manhã, pois, vos chegareis, segundo as vossas tribos; e será que a tribo que o Senhor designar por sorte se chegará, segundo as famílias; e a família que o Senhor designar se chegará por casas; e a casa que o Senhor designar se chegará homem por homem. 15 Aquele que for achado com a coisa condenada será queimado, ele e tudo quanto tiver, porquanto violou a aliança do Senhor e fez loucura em Israel.

16 Então, Josué se levantou de madrugada e fez chegar a Israel, segundo as suas tribos; e caiu a sorte sobre a tribo de Judá. 17 Fazendo chegar a tribo de Judá, caiu sobre a família dos zeraítas; fazendo chegar a família dos zeraítas, homem por homem, caiu sobre Zabdi; 18 e, fazendo chegar a sua casa, homem por homem, caiu sobre Acã, filho de Carmi, filho de Zabdi, filho de Zera, da tribo de Judá. 19 Então, disse Josué a Acã: Filho meu, dá glória ao Senhor, Deus de Israel, e a ele rende louvores; e declara-me, agora, o que fizeste; não mo ocultes. 20 Respondeu Acã a Josué e disse: Verdadeiramente, pequei contra o Senhor, Deus de Israel, e fiz assim e assim. 21 Quando vi entre os despojos uma boa capa babilônica, e duzentos siclos de prata, e uma barra de ouro do peso de cinquenta siclos, cobicei-os e tomei-os; e eis que estão escondidos na terra, no meio da minha tenda, e a prata, por baixo.

22 Então, Josué enviou mensageiros que foram correndo à tenda; e eis que tudo estava escondido nela, e a prata, por baixo. 23 Tomaram, pois, aquelas coisas do meio da tenda, e as trouxeram a Josué e a todos os filhos de Israel, e as colocaram perante o Senhor. 24 Então, Josué e todo o Israel com ele tomaram Acã, filho de Zera, e a prata, e a capa, e a barra de ouro, e seus filhos, e suas filhas, e seus bois, e seus jumentos, e suas ovelhas, e sua tenda, e tudo quanto tinha e levaram-nos ao vale de Acor. 25 Disse Josué: Por que nos conturbaste? O Senhor, hoje, te conturbará. E todo o Israel o apedrejou; e, depois de apedrejá-los, queimou-os. 26 E levantaram sobre ele um montão de pedras, que permanece até ao dia de hoje; assim, o Senhor apagou o furor da sua ira; pelo que aquele lugar se chama o vale de Acor até ao dia de hoje.

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor thither; for they are but few.

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: why the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust on their heads.

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, why have you at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelled on the other side Jordan!

8 O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turns their backs before their enemies!

9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what will you do to your great name?

10 And the LORD said to Joshua, Get you up; why lie you thus on your face?

11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except you destroy the accursed from among you.

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus said the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the middle of you, O Israel: you can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the accursed thing from among you.

14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has: because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has worked folly in Israel.

16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give, I pray you, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to him; and tell me now what you have done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the middle of my tent, and the silver under it.

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them to the valley of Achor.

25 And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? the LORD shall trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Why the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, to this day.